Wednesday 13th December

 After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel in Medellin and drove to the small town of Santa Elena where we visited a flower farm and the tradition and culture of the Silliteros was explained to us by the most enthusiastic guide, Ignacio who showed us how flowers are inserted into a framework which is carried on the back of the contestants in a two-mile parade in August in the town of Santa Elena. Prizes are awarded in various categories.

Some information about the history and derivation of the festival can be found here in Wikipedia:

Flower Festival in Medellin

Although the place we visited was not the actual flower farm, which is in a different location and much larger, this was where the arrangements for the parade were put together.

We had lunch in a small restaurant in the town of Santa Elena and then drove to Medellin airport for our flight to Cartagena. At this point we said farewell to Armando who had shepherded us from our arrival in Colombia. Armando was knowledgeable and enthusiastic and wanted us to be 'ambassadors' for Colombia when we returned home.

Upon landing we were met by Ingrid a very bouncy and diminutive lady who burst with enthusiasm about Cartagena. She took us to our hotel the Mermita (named after a local church), on the ocean front, where we checked in and rested until leaving for our restaurant reservation at Celele at 9.30 p.m. We took a taxi there and waited a few minutes outside for the appointed time about which the restaurant is very strict. There seems to be two sittings one at about 7.30 p.m. and the second at 9.30 p.m.

The menu at this restaurant is very eclectic. The website gives an impression of what to expect:

Celele Restaurant

There was a salad which has plants culled from the local botanical garden and is the most colorful salad I have ever seen. Other menu items are also unusual, and I had the beef tongue. All the food is well prepared and cooked and attractive to look at. This is a place I would recommend to any visitor to Cartagena. It was a late finish for us to the day but worth it.